Convertible car



(No Model.)

B. LOWENBERG. CONVERTIBLE GAR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Mar. 19,Y 1895.

(No Model.)

B- LOWENBERG. 5 Sms-Sheet 2 CONVERTIBLE GAR,

No. 536,034. Patented Mar. I9, 1895.

@wwwmain rnc Noam: PE1-sns cu. PHoYo-Lxfnav, WASHINGTON, n. c.

(No Model.) Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

B. LOWENBERG.

"CONVERTIBLE GAR. No. 536,034.v Patented Mar. 19, 1895. W w

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-. B. 4LOWENBERGr Y CONVERTIBLE GAR. A

No. 536,034. Patented Mar. 19, 1895'.

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NITED- STATESl BENJAMIN .LOWENBERGQ PATENT OFFICE.

OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,34, dated March 19, 1895.

. Application filed May 19, 1894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN LOWENBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Cars; and 1 do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable oth ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure lis a side elevation of a car embody ing my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line Fig. l, showing the parts at the time when the wall lifting devices are in their upper most position. Fig. Llis a similar view showing the parts at the time when the wall has been carried inward at the top. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the partsin the position occupied after the lifting frame ou one side has been raised and the movable side has been slid into the car below the roof. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged sections showing some of the parts in detail. Fig. 8 shows the side of the car detached.

In the drawings, I have shown a sufficient portion of -a street car to illustrate the manner of applying my invention thereto; but it will be understood that in this respect it can be considerably modied, as the invention is of such nature as to be applicable to cars of any of the sorts now commonly in use, so far as concerns the main frame-work, the parts at the rear and the front ends, the wheel trucks, &c. I prefer to construct the framework with some features of special adaptation so that the improvements can be completely applied, as will appear from the description below in connection with the drawings.

In order to understand more readily the parts which essentially characterize the invention, I will indicate, generally, the parts of therframe-work, to be borne in mind in forming acorrect idea of the improvements.

A, A, indicate the track Wheels, to be 5o mounted as aforesaid on any suitable trucks.

B indicates the ioor frame,as a whole, it beseriu No. 511,805. (No mais.)

ing supported above the seats C C. The latter may also be of any approved sort, though I prefer to arrange them transversely of the car.

At C there is a center aisle running longif the nature of those in ordinary use in cars as f now made. They in conjunction with the uprights or studs D D. support the paneling or end walls, the end window-sash, and the end doors, there being doorways at C2, C2, communicating with the platforms E', E', one at the frontand the other at the rear and of substantially the ordinary character.

Between the front and rear corner uprigh ts or studs D, D, there are or may be placed linterme'diate uprights D2 D2 of any suitable number, arranged and connected substantially the same as those now in use.

The roof is indicated by F and ymay be of the usual sort.

With the parts above referred to, I combine side walls which are capable of being readily secured in position so as to tightly inclose the interior apartment whenever desired, but which can also be as readily moved up into such position as can be practically entirely concealed from the outside and so as to leave the sides of the car entirely open. IIn other words, I have succeeded in constructing a car which can be converted in a moment from a closed vehicle having substantially the appearance kand the capabilities of the ordinary box or in closed street car, to one which shall have the appearance and the capabili- .ties of what is known as an open car. To accomplish these ends, I employ the following means: G, G, indicate the movable sides. Each is formed with a suitable number of frame pieces as at g, g, g. At the bottom, the frame-work is closed, preferably by sheathing or tight paneling as at g2 extending upward senese zontally into a chamber or space at the top of the room in the car below the roof. PreferablyI make this mechanism in what may be regarded as two parts, one for effecting the turning of the side and the other for accoinplishiug its inward and outward movement;

and although thesetwo parts of the mechanism are related so as to be at times co-operative, yet they are more or less independent so that they can be respectively moved indifferent has been moved uparonnd theaxisof thek wheels as a center to a horizontal ornearly horizontal position, the wheels and racks can be utilized as the means for causing. the inward or outward movement of the side Wall. At each end there` is a guide-way I. It is made in two separablepa'rts t' and vl". part t" is fixed permanently in the cross frame of the carat the top. The part z' is hinged on the axis of the wheels H, preferably bymeans of radius bars 2112 sleeved on said axle. At said end of the side wall there is a tongned or flanged piece fitting in the guideway t' vl and adapted to readily pass from one part of the guide tothe other when they are'in alignment.

To throw the parts 'i of the guides. into line I employ the devices shown at J J J2 J3, J indicating a rotary shaft, J pinions thereon, J2 racks engaging with the pinions and J3 being links connecting the ends of the racks4 with the ends ofthe sidewall, being pvoted tothe Then the shattJ can remain stationary, and

with it the elevating devices described, and:

the wheels H can be rotated by means ot'` the` pinions K, K', on the shaftA K, the result of which is to compel the wheelsthroughtheir engagement with the racks H to .drawthe side The from the outer guides the elevating devices are free and if the shaft J be turned in the opposite direction the racks J 2 and the links J3 will be lowered, the racks passing into a position of concealment under the car fioor and the links J3 seating themselves in chambers :or recesses in the framework, as shown at j. Y

In order to provide at all times a tight as well as` ornamental cover for the opening at the upper part of the side of the car adjacent to the wheels H, I combine with the parts described a movable cornice L. It is hinged at l lof the car frame. Its upper edge is placed `snugly beneath the eaves or overhanging .edges of the roof and it is so shaped as to exclude water and also be` tasty in appearance. I also prefer to support and arrange this part L so that it shallserve as a stopor lock for the side wall in both` positions et' the latter; that is to say, arrange it son that it shall lie directly upon the upper edge of the side when it is in itslowermost position and directly against its outer edge when it has been thrown upunderithe roof. It is movedproperly rela tively to the other parts by means of a link L pivoted to it and. also pivotally connected to the elevating devices, therel being preferably one at each end.

It will be understood ol' course that there is on each side of the car a mechanism having parts corresponding to, those above described. Inasmuch as one side wall must be snperposedas to the other, I arrange the guide- Way sectioned for one side wall on transverse linesin front or in the rearof the lines ofthe guides of the other side. To compensate for these the racks and other parts are placedon proper lines transverse to the side so that when thetwo sidewalls arerdown they will be similarly situatedA with respect to the body ot the vehicle.

The twotshafts J which effect the elevating may beconnected together as by a sprocket chain or otherwise so that-asinglehand wheel M or crank can be utilized to effect the raising of both` sides, and, similarly, the wheels H on the two sides can be connected to a commondriverV sothat the operator can by one andthe same act, cause the outward Inovement of the two-side pieces.

What I claim is- 1. In a car or similar vehicle, the combina tionwiththe two part supporting and guiding frame, of a sidewall and means for moving itfrom aA vertical position in one of the parts of said frame. to a horizontal position inthe other part of said frame, substantially as set forth.

2i In a car or similar vehicle, thecombination with the movable sidewall, of the two part` guide-Way, the parts of whichare adapted tothe-separated whereby onepart can lie in one position as. to the, horizon and the other being inclined to` another position, substantiallyas set forth.

3. In acar` or similarve11ic1e,the combina- IOO IIO

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tion with the body thereof, of a yvertically swinging and inward horizontally sliding side Wall, means for swinging said wall, and independent means for sliding it horizontally substantially as set forth.

4.' In a car or similar vehicle, the combination with the movable side wall, and a guide- 4way for it between the sides of a car, of a shaft for elevating said wall, levers adapted/to be connected to said side wall, and means connecting the shaft with the levers, substantially as set -forth.

v5. In a car or similar vehicle, the combination with the movable side wall, and the guide therefor between the sides of the car, of the movable guide pivotally supported to move into and out of alignment with the aforesaid guide, substantially as set forth.

. 6. In a car or similar vehicle, the combination with the guide extending from side to side of the car, and the vertically movable guide, of a removable sidewall adapted to lie in either of said guides, and means for moving it from one to the other of said guides, substantially as set forth.

7. In a car or similar vehicle, the combination with the guide between the side walls of the car and the movable side wall of means for elevating the side wall, and means supplemental thereto for causing it to move on the aforesaid guide, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the car body, and the movable side Wall, of a rack and pinion for moving said side Wall, into a horizontal position, and a supplemental rack and pinion for sliding said wall horizontally, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with the car body and the movable side wall, of the side or support between the sides of the car for the side wall, means for moving the side wall to a horizontal position and a rack and pinion supplemental to the said means for moving said side wall bodily around the said support, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with the car body and the movable side wall, of the interior support for the side wall and the vertically rocking frame for the side wall detachable therefrom, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with the car body, the movable side Walland the interior support, of the hinged guide or frame and means for the movable side Wall, of the transversely moving racks J 2 for moving the side wall and detachably connected thereto, and pinions J engaging with and actuating said racks, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination with the car body and the movable side wall, of the vertically moving frame or support for the said wall, the racks J2,'the links J 3, and means for moving the racks longitudinally, substantially as set forth.

- l5. The combination with the car body, and the movable side Wall, of a movable cornice or cover piece, means for moving said side Wall into a horizontal position within said car, and means independent of the side wall for automatically reciprocating said cornice when the side Wall is moved, substantially as described. f

16. The combination with the car body, and the movable side walls, of the racks for elevating said walls extending under the car floor, and shafts provided with pinions for operating said racks extending longitudinally of the car under the floor thereof, substantially as set forth.

17. The combination with the car body and the movable side wall, of a frame for supporting the said wall said car frame having vertical recesses for receiving the Wall supporting frame, substantially as set forth.

18. In a convertible car, the combination with the car body and the movable walls, of the parallel-supports one arranged vertically above the other in the car, and the two swinging frames for the movable walls, each adapted to register with one of the supports, substant/ially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my'signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN LOWENBERG.

Witnesses:

J. R. SMALL, D. E. LEVY.

ICO 

